88

92

FINAL

Summer League: Magic 92, Nets 88

Posted Monday July 9, 2012 1:32PM

By John Denton, OrlandoMagic.com

ORLANDO -- Orlando rookie power forward Andrew Nicholson broke a tie with a spinning three-point play with 29.7 seconds remaining as the Magic defeated Brooklyn 92-88 in the first game of the AirTran Orlando Pro Summer League.

Nicholson, the 19th overall pick of the June NBA Draft, scored 24 points in his NBA debut. None were prettier than his spinning post move that he made while being fouled that broke an 86-all tie. Nicholson, who also added 12 rebounds, converted the free that allowed the Magic (1-0) to avoid blowing a 17-point lead.

Harper came out aggressively seeking out shots, hitting six of seven shots and two 3-pointers in the first half. Clearly more muscular and in top shape, Harper played with confidence, stroked jumpers and finished in traffic.

Harper, O'Quinn (14 points) and Nicholson (10 points, six rebounds) combined to scored 39 of the Magic's 49 points in the first half as they raced to a 17-point lead at intermission. Orlando hit 52.9 percent of its shots in the first half compared to just 35.4 percent by Brooklyn.

The Magic shot 54.1 percent for the game, while the Nets made 42.9 percent of their shots.